Daniel Craig Exits DC’s War Movie ‘Sgt. Rock’ From Luca Guadagnino

Daniel Craig isn’t enlisting into the DC Universe after all. The actor has dropped out of consideration for the title role in “Sgt. Rock,” the DC Comics adaptation from Craig’s “Queer” director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes. News of Craig’s possible involvement first broke in November, but a source with knowledge of the project notes that the actor never formally committed to making it. A rep for DC Studios declined to comment.

The character, who debuted in 1959, isn’t a classical superhero; rather, he’s a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. army who leads his unit, Easy Company, through the European theater of World War II. (Though he does eventually become chief of staff for Lex Luthor.) DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran are said to be excited about the film as a straightforward war picture, and see it as a chance to demonstrate the wide breadth of content they intend to make under the DC banner. They are already seeking another actor for the title role.

Craig’s work in Guadagnino’s “Queer” won the actor some of the best reviews of his career, though it did not ultimately translate to major nominations for awards season. Craig will next appear as detective Benoit Blanc in “Wake Up Dead Man,” the third film in writer-director Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” mystery films. He’s also attached to star opposite Charlize Theron in “Two for the Money” for director Justin Lin and Apple Studios.

Guadagnino’s prolific run of films will continue this October with the Julia Roberts thriller “After the Hunt.” He’s also attached to direct a new adaptation of “American Psycho” with Austin Butler, and an adaptation of the gay romance “Separate Rooms” with Josh O’Connor.